Hey guys! So, I know that everyone has already heard about the whole Shea Moisture fiasco, with the new ad showcasing Caucasian women instead of us. I already made a video about this topic, so if you have not yet seen it, here it is.
This topic has pretty much died down now, but I still feel the same way. I am still limiting my Shea Moisture purchases from here on out. This company was built on the backs of blacks, and yet again, it's being stripped away from us as usual. I don't support that! Hope you enjoy the video.
I have not been writing in this blog lately. I've been finding ways to balance my time since having baby #5 around. I will get it together. Life hasn't been very favorable this year, but it'll all mellow out. I am still making videos for your guys, just not as consistent at the moment.
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ Curls of Innocence! Peace.
Heya, curlies! I am going to talk about treating cradle cap today.
My youngest child is 2 months right now. She has a serious case of cradle cap, or so she used to. My previous child, Jalani, didn't have half as much cradle cap as she did. I don't know what it is, but poor little Kyanah has had a ton of the stinky, white flaky stuff on her little scalp!
I always use coconut oil from birth on my children as a moisturizer for their hair AND body. It's the best. Very silky and smells good, no issues with skin breakouts or anything. So of course, I use it for cradle cap as well.
I made a post on Instagram about not worrying about whether or not to use 'regular' Shea Moistureproducts on your baby. Shea Moisture is supposed to be all natural anyway, so there's no real need to refrain from using it because you don't have the baby version. I always use it on all my kids as babies and they work just fine! No need to go broke using 'specialty' products. ;)
So for the cradle cap, I wash her hair using one of these SM shampoos and I massage really well. I don't use my nails at all, ONLY my finger tips. You don't want to pick the stuff off their scalps and create scabs. It's so tempting for me to pick at it because I HATE dandruff or anything that looks like it because it looks like dirt to me; however, I know that I shouldn't. lol
I wash and rinse like normal. No conditioner needed at this age. Afterwards, I just take a palm full of coconut oil and massage it all over her head. Then at this point, I take one of those tiny baby combs and gently comb her hair out, which is the perfect time to tackle the cradle cap because her hair is wet and the stuff is loosened up. It comes right up easily with the baby comb and it doesn't hurt her. In fact, she loves this process and nearly falls asleep. lol
After combing as much as I can out of her hair, THEN I go in with the baby brush and brush it down, slick it down. I put a hat on her so she can warm up quickly after the bath.
Doing this same process after every bath has significantly decreases her cradle cap issue. Like I said, in the beginning, it was really bad. Now it's almost completely gone! I am so happy about that.
Hopefully, these tips will help you guys, too. I'll probably make a video addressing this also.
What do you about cradle cap? How do you treat it?
So, as you can see, my 3B pattern got more loose after using the dye, but I really don't mind it. I knew what could possibly happen before it did.
But I wanted you guys to see what effects bleaching agents have on my hair.
My hair is also mega dry, and it breaks much easier now! The bleached areas are more fragile and weak, and I can't put too much stress on them. The LOC method, or even the LCO method (even using shea butter on top) does little to hold moisture in my hair now, which is no bueno lol! I have to add a little bit of protein to the moisture every once in a while, although because I am protein sensitive, it's often hard to govern how much of a balance is needed to keep my color from being damaged even more. I am still working to figure that out, but being natural is a journey... a long, exciting one! ;)
Ideas I may implement: I may start adding keratin products to my hair to protect the color... and also these Shea Moisture products that I bought the other day.
I went to Walgreens on a 50% off day. I didn't even know that was the case until I went in, and I bought these three Shea Moisture products. They are wonderful so far. I will have a video done about this soon, and also reviews. Oh, and I finally found that black lipstick that I'd been looking for for ages! Woo hoo! ;) #geekpower
Hey, guys! I haven't had much time lately to keep up with my blogs, but anyway, I have something that I'd like to talk about today.
Remember when I said in my New Year's hair goals list that I would go back to the basics of hair care? Well, in my opinion, I had already been doing that to an extent. But now, with 4 kids, I really need to practice that more than ever. So here are some things that I've either learned or re-visited lately.
1. Leaving rinse out conditioner in the hair isn't going to kill it.People have been doing this since forever, and I've always had my own complex issue towards it because I had tried it in the past and always preferred to use a leave in. It just felt better to me. But nowadays, I am experimenting more with my on leave in mixture because it's cheaper and still works. That mixture consists of Suave Naturals conditioner, water, glycerin, and a number of my favorite oils. That, my friends, is the secret to poppin curls. The hold is perfect, too, depending on how you mix it. Haha!
2. The kid's hair doesn't HAVE to be washed every week. Really. I used to be on that every week, and swear by it because they always had their little heads on the floor, full of lint, dust, crumbs, and who knows what else. But now that Jamian's and Symari's hair have gotten so long and Syriah's hair is continuously past her butt, it's a lot of freakin work to make sure that each kid's hair is washed, conditioned, detangled, and styled every single week. And that doesn't include MY hair. Also, little Jalani is 8 months old, but his hair is rapidly growing and accumulating tangles daily. His routine is simple, but it still takes time as his hair gets longer. Here is his hair last month. Simple Baby Hair Care
3. I must deep condition MY hair every week because of the color.Forget the kid's hair! Their hair doesn't need that much conditioning compared to mine. I honestly don't have time anymore. If I do get the time to deep condition Syriah's hair, it'll be like, once a month. Because I have super light areas in my hair now, I need to focus on keeping heavy moisture and light protein treatments in my hair. I also need to get back to using my whipped shea butter. I've been kind of neglecting that lately. #epicfail
4. I MUST stop wearing my hair out so much during the winter!Yes, this is my ultimate weakness. I know the cold air is very damaging to my hair, but so far, whenever I go out somewhere, my hair just has to be out and wild and uncovered. Unless it's raining. Then I pin it down under a hood or something. But initially, I know that I shouldn't have it out and free when it's 30-50 degrees and the wind isn't very favorable towards my hair. I just love my hair big and wild, but I've been getting such terrible tangles and knots from doing this. I know; I fail miserably. I hate the cold weather. Come on, spring! lol
5. Gel is NOT for wintertime.Again, rocking a wash and go during the colder months really wreaks havoc on my hair, and that's probably because of the color. In the past, it didn't seem to do as much damage. But I have to remember, my hair is practically bleached now. Wash & gos with gel during the winter... NOT working for me. That combined with wearing my hair out: epic disaster. The style only lasts ONE day. That happened to me last week, and I was so pissed off. Plus, I don't own a blow dryer or a diffuser, so it's not like I could have 'set' my hair better before heading out. Nope, it had to air dry all night, and didn't properly do so, either. So, I need to leave wash and gos alone until the weather warms up. Seriously. LOL! 6. Keratin treatments might not be a bad idea for me. I used the last bit if an old ApHogee 2 step treatment that I had for a long time, and it made my colored hair pop and feel less 'crunchy' after washing it. I originally wanted to keep purchasing that stuff even then, but at the time, I couldn't afford to. I didn't see much of a difference in my hair then, but I knew that I'd have to keep trying it. However, now with this drastic color difference, that treatment is like butter to my hair! So instead of paying nearly 8 bucks for that, maybe I'll settle for a cheapie conditioner with keratin in it and see how my hair does.
7. Stop emphasizing styles too much on the kids!We all don't get out too much right now, anyway. I had been working on this for months, because like I said earlier, it's just too much damn work. It's not that serious. I was actually considering straightening Syriah's hair more often this year just so I'll be able to maintain it easier, but I said, nah. That'll do more harm than good and I know this. Me of all people know better. Before I let her hair become damaged due to lack of time, I'll sooner whack off the hair that Jam has and have him start over to take some of the workload off of me. He's a boy. It's not much of a big deal. So, now, both girls get their hair washed and automatically thrown into a few cornbraids or flat twists, or just two braids, period. Little Mari just had these box braids. They lasted for two weeks! Yay.
8. And last of all: Consistency is important, but don't overstress it. If I can afford one product this month that's working well but I can't afford it next month, then so be it. I need to work with what I have and what I know works. Honestly, I miss my Shea Moisture. But until finances pick up and are stable, I need to 'expect the unexpected'. That means the only hair products that I for sure can afford every month are Suave shampoos and conditioners, ONE sulfate free shampoo (right now, I'm using the Cream of Nature Argan Oil one and LOVE it), my cheap deep conditioner, one leave in, and my oils. The oils last almost forever because I buy huge bottle in bulk sometimes, for hot oil treatments, sealing, and mixing my Whipped Curly Butter.
So, that's pretty much what I've got as far as hair right now. I'm slacking on my videos a bit because of life being so busy, but I am getting it together. Between me
homeschooling two kids,
changing the other two kid's diapers and also
starting potty training with toddler,
preparing meals,
entertaining kids,
breaking up fights,
cleaning house,
feeding baby,
giving showers/baths,
blogging,
vlogging,
advertising,
photo editing,
video editing,
working out,
talking to hubby after work (and staying up late gaming because that's my only real 'me' time),
and forgetting to eat most times, everybody's hair is completely last on my list of things to do. Ha! Sue me if you like, but it's my hectic life. Hope you guys enjoyed this blog post. How do you manage your time with your kid's hair and yours? Learned any tips and tricks for keeping your curls in line? Please share! Thanks for reading. ;)
Hiya, guys! I made a video explaining why I dye only the ends of my hair. Hope you enjoy and if you're thinking about coloring your hair, consider this technique.
Hair health:Currently my hair appears to be in great shape. I am deep conditioning every other week, doing more wash and gos, and experimenting with more protective styles.
Products: Since I can't afford too many Shea Moisture products at the moment, I am still using that Cantu leave in conditioner as my primary moisturizer, and I use my holy grail oil on top of that for MAXIMUM moisture sealing. This Cantu stuff works so well (for me, that is...Syriah, not so much)! I can rock a twist-out for a freakin week before it starts looking raggedy. Oh, and sometimes, a giant high bun at night works better than a pineapple.
If I am not using the Cantu, I use either the Shea Moisture Curling Souffle for my twist outs with the oil on top or I use the LA Curl Activator gel for a superb wash & go after washing my hair.
Postpartum Shedding: Actually, my postpartum shedding has been very minimal this entire time! Only my edges have been shedding, but still, not as much. Since my last baby is almost 6 months now, it's been dwindling down even more. Video about that is coming very soon! ;-)
Got questions or comment? Hit me up here on on Facebook!
I got some new products a few days ago. Nothing special, just some random gels at Walmart that I have yet to try.
I have already tried the Olive oil cholesterol stuff and the Shea Moisture gel before. But I haven't used that SM gel in over a year, so I decided to try it again. Last few times that I have tried it, it didn't work very well for me. It left my hair sticky, slimy, and undefined! So I wanted to try it again, just to see if the reason it didn't work for me was because it has coconut oil in it (protein sensitivity) or I was simply using it wrong... again. lol
The V05 stuff is so cheap that I've been using it a lot lately on the entire family. Of course, the conditioner bottles run out so much faster than the shampoo bottles!
The ratio is like; for every one bottle of shampoo = three bottles of conditioner. -______- #naturalhairproblems
Those two other gels I have never tried. People rave about that ORS Lock & Twist gel, and so far, I see why. It worked wonderfully on Jamian's hair! Finger coils for the WIN! #curlsofinnocence
I will be reviewing this stuff on my hair very soon, as well as the other gel. These aren't natural gels, but I wanted to try them anyway. I'm not that much of a #ingredientNazi anymore. I use what works!
Heya, curlies! Here are my results from the KCCM Spring Challenge 2014, Week 5! I'm very impressed with my growth. So close to waist length! I really hope that I win the challenge this time. I could sure use that $100 worth of Shea Moisture products! That'll probably last me and my fam for almost the rest of the year LMAO! And you know we have a ton of hair...
I got to order from the famous CurlMart a few days ago for the first time ever and my items have arrived! Wanna know what I got? Stay tuned to meh YouTube channel for a vid! ;)
Heya,curlies! Just wanted to show you some updated styles that I've done on my daughters.
Riah Chic's hair is doing well lately, still moist and growing. This hairstyle was done using my trusty Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and my own whipped shea butter. I'm getting so much better at corn braiding... been practicing random twists and curves and parts.I am curious to see how long Riah's hair it'll get before it stays at a certain length. She's always happy about her hair touching her butt. lol
I have to be careful not to let her get too vain about it, though. Kids will do that in a heartbeat and not know any better. When she was a bit younger, like last year when she had just turned four, she'd be in the store, sometimes yelling out, "My hair is so long!" "My hair is so pretty!" How embarrassing. So through homeschooling, I am giving her more to brag to people about besides her hair length. Ain't having no spoiled, overly vain kids lol! I am showing her that vanity isn't everything, and that it's not nice to show off (unless in a beauty pageant) or brag.
Little Mari's hair has been growing exponentially as well! She is 21 months old now and loves getting her hair done, unless she has some tangles, of course. But she barely cries when she does have them because I get them out gently. My girls have the exact same hair texture. My son did have the same texture, but through cutting it, it's gotten thicker, so now he has more of my mixed hair texture than my husbands', which means his hair isn't very fine anymore. I did this style on damp hair and used the products from above, Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and my own whipped shea butter, like the style above.
Oh, and I have an announcement to make! I've already told Facebook, might as well do it here as well. ;) See pic below:
Yes, we are preggo with baby number FOUR! Don't ask what gender; don't know yet. Had some long, drawn out insurance issues, so I have yet to have an ultrasound. I'm currently 27 weeks preggo, and I'm hoping that it's a boy. So excited to finally find out soon! I'll know sometime in March for sure.
If it's another girl, then I'll have some serious hair battles to face... between my hair, Riah Chic's hair, Mari's hair, and the new baby's hair. And let's not forget Jam's little rat tail and hubby's home haircuts. Time for Riah to start doing her own hair LMAO! #joking #SheAintready #butneitheramI O_O
Peace out till later, folks!
~Epic Realist~
P.S.: If you like games, humor, and conspiracy theories, check out my oldest personal blog. Be enlightened! ;)http://epicrealist.blogspot.com/
Heya, guys! This is just a quick post showing Mari's little bantu knots that I did in her hair. I only did a few, but it looks cute and suits her well! She's 19 months old.
I have to cover her hair at night with a stocking cap or else it'll be messed up easily... her hair is soooo silky. Products used: Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and whipped shea butter
My little greedy butt... she's always eating but doesn't gain a pound!
Peace out till later, guys. I've got some online jobs/gigs to complete. ;) #SAHMhustle
Heya,guys! I wanted to show you what's been going on with my hair lately. I've had a hair setback that I'm not too proud of. :( Natural Hair Setback
Check out the video link or click the picture above to see the details.
I am hoping that this breakage is irreversible. I did some research and went to Sally's to get an ApHogee product that I had heard raves about as far as restoring damaged hair. It was seven dollars and change for the small bottle, so I hope that it works for me!
I got the ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor, which is apparently notorious for helping to strengthen and repair hair. I was careful to get this one and not the protein treatment, because a load of protein is the last thing my hair needs right now lol! I got the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie (an old fave) mostly for my daughters because my hair especially can't handle protein during the colder months. Although this product only has silk protein in it, it still has coconut oil in it, which adds more protein. And you know from a previous post how my hair feels about protein during the colder months. LOL! But for my kids, it works just fine without the crispy feeling the next day.
The last thing I got from Sallys was the satin scarf in the picture. One of my other satin bonnets had recently fallen apart. The elastic was stretched out really bad and basically, the thing had to be discarded. So I threw it away and got this new kind for two bucks. Here's a pic of me wearing it. lol
I am still doing the KCCM challenge this winter, although it's been rough keeping up with it and my three busy kids and their homeschooling/mischief. But I'm doing it! So that's my update for now. I'll let you guys know how the ApHogee worked out for me... as soon as I get a chance to use it. LOL!
Peace out, till later, curly mamas!
~Epic Realist~
Click Diva chic's pic above to see her newest hair video! ;)
Heyaguys! This is just a quick post showing Syriah's latest wash day routine and what not. I washed her hair yesterday, but first, I pre-pooed her hair with coconut oil and did finger de-tangling. Then I pinned the sections into bantu knots for later on.
Washing her hair is always fun. I find it just as therapeutic as washing my own hair. LOL! She loves it too. I talk to her about what I'm doing and then let her comb/brush her hair herself. I used my usual Shea Moisture Extra Moisturizing Shampoo and Herbal Essences Hello Hydration for conditioning. I realized that her hair is back past her butt. She gained back the length from the trim I gave her in June. ;) (and she got taller, too. lol)
I edited that second pic because I fell in love with the way she was looking. So cute!
So after I was done washing, I went to work de-tangling with myBeautiful Textures Tangle Taming moisturizer. I didn't need a lot of it because her hair was 90% already de-tangled from the conditioner... no knots whatsoever. Then I applied Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter that was given to me by someone who bought it to try it and hated it lol! But I had tried it about two years ago and although the smell was revolting at first, I enjoyed the way it made my hair feel and didn't mind the smell.
It smelled like an old people/herbal type of smell, but I don't mind it. So I tried it in Syriah's hair. It's kind of like a greasy butter... has beeswax in it and is 99% natural.
I put her hair in 4 braids. The shine was amazing! It felt like it was slicking down her hair very well. I had to use a brush to work the product into her wet hair... beeswax on wet hair is NOT fun to work with, I have come to realize. But the brush helped and it was wonderful! The shine is still there this morning.
So that's my little update and review. See ya later, divas!
My twist out using this product :)
Oh, check out my 'skills' in reversing a cornbraid style last week lol! :-) ~Epic Realist~
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